The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1887-05-06


~Etrtn5eri sl AaueuIture at W.sb 'ugtOn
lts been ,rgsr-d foF sene yim= Iu al
investigation OF lie If ct of The law en-
acted in Penbsy lvauia IN 1885 gaming
, bounty Of 50 c,i.ts q head on all hawk
owls. weasels and muks kIlsd within
the limits OF The SAFE TINS law was
enacted Tor the alleged beuef' OF the
rmeIs OF P-nusylvaHia, and from The
lime when ii fIss went into fleet $50
600 bad been paid out under IT, TIE
investigations Of the dep ir-meuf sho"
hat his SUN Is buL a small fI4ct tion OF
the direct and indirect cost of the law
or the safe. It Is found that here are
about - species Of hawks and owls IN
the Eastern : ajes. OF these only three
var5.tIe ever feed upon poultry. With
.n The past SIX weeks the deparlmrn
has examined he contents Of The s.Om-
schs OF 80 birds killed in the neigh bOr-
hood of Washington. In that Of "A
hawk was found portion Of the head Of
a domestic fowl, which might have been
he offal thrown cut Of some fnImeI's
kitchen. In the stomach of al owl d
portion of domestic pigeon was discov-
cred. These two were tne only Ones
among the 80 in which there was any
Indication of par.iality for poultry on
the part of the hawk and owl family.
Nearly all of the other s1Omachs exam
ned contained from one to five. field
mice, as well rs a great many insects
which are naturally very destructive to
crops.
Upon this showing tie department
estimates that each hawk and ow. is
worth S25 per annum to the farmers Of
the country. The estimate is based
upon the assumption that every field
mouse not caught
WILL DAMAGE CROPS.
20 The amount of 2 cents year. The
scientific men of the departmet, who de
light in figures, have come to conclusion
hat if every hawk and owl killed uuder
the Pennsylvania county law had been
allowed to live, the damage done 10y
them would have amounted, under
very liberal estimate, to about 1,S75
while the law was in operation. On
The other side of the account book they
charge mp the $50 600 paid by tie State
in bounttes and $50 as The value, of each
Dird XII led, and fId that from the pas
sage of the act TO the date of its rep-al
The entire cost was s.. .S57, 130, beside
The damage done in the way of incTeas-
I'd production of the vermin, because O.
the depletion in the ranks o. their natu-
raj enemies.
While the State of Pennsylvania has
been trying to get rid Of The hawks the
general Government has been busy devils
ing ways to make them more useful.
Negotiations have been pending for
some time between the chief oInitholO-
gisL Of the Depar, ment of Agriculture
aud a man who has had a great deal
Of experience as q traIner of falcons in
Europe. These negotiations are for the
purpose 1f securing the services Of this
man 20 train number of hawks for use
in the rice fields of South Carolina.
! The planters there are cIamoring for
| for some method of TiddiDg their fields
/ OF rice BIRDS, when play fTIghtful havoc
with their crops every year. 1t has been
| found that the presence of a living
| hawk N the air over a field of rice will
| cause the immediate departure Of every
bird in the Vicinity. Guns, drums and
other implements for creating great
noise are only partly successful. A
stuffed hawk will do well enough for
day or two, but the depredators soon
learn that there is little to fear from a
dead enemy. It is therefore proposed
TO try the effect Of trained birds. Il is
the purpose of the department to begin
with small number this year, and il
the plan proves successful to the rice
bird problem, it is likely that every rice
planter in the South will be supplied in
the near future with a flock of falcons